Matt Damon's latest movie, "The Martian," comes out this week, coincidentally following NASA's revelation that they have just discovered evidence of water in Mars.
Last Monday, NASA announced that their researchers have detected hydrated minerals on the slopes of the red planet.
"Our quest on Mars has been to 'follow the water,' in our search for life in the universe, and now we have convincing science that validates what we've long suspected. This is a significant development, as it appears to confirm that water -- albeit briny -- is flowing today on the surface of Mars," John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said.
But "The Martian" director Ridley Scott was not among the people who were surprised by this amazing discovery. In an interview with Yahoo! News, the director claimed that he knew about this months ago, when the head of NASA showed him pictures.
Scott recalled, "When I first talked to NASA, we got into all kinds of stuff and I said, 'So I know you've got down there massive glaciers.' And he said, 'Yeah, that the massive white thing [on the surface of Mars] that gets covered with dust, we think that's ice. And I said, 'Wow! Does that mean there was an ocean?' And they went, 'Uh, good question.' So they want to go up there and find out.'"
By that time though, it was too late for the director to make changes in the already finished movie.
"The Martian" revolves around the story of an astronaut and botanist, played by Matt Damon, who was stranded on the planet for more than a year. He survives by creating water, trapping droplets on a plastic tarp. According to Scott, had he known about water on Mars, Damon's character would have found a glacier instead.
The 77-year-old director told The New York Times, "But then I would've lost a great sequence. He has to make water, and the steaming device, and put up the plastic tents, which creates the humidity, which grows the plants, which is the most basic form of irrigation. They still do it in Spain that way."
"The Martian" opens in theaters this Friday, Oct. 2.
